The SS Spanish Prince was with a grain cargo when, built by the Connell shipyard at Scotstoun, Glasgow, this steel built “long-bridged deck-cargo carrier” was originally dubbed Knight Batchelor and served in the Knight Line. Launched on the 6th of June 1894, she was owned by the Liverpool based Greenshield & Cowie Company, until 1907. At 137m she was the first of a new class of large capacity and heavy tonnage ships for the firm and she remained the largest in the fleet until 1918. She had a beam of 15.9m, a depth of hold of 31’ (9.45m), a gross tonnage of 6,409, and her steel screw propeller was powered by single quadruple expansion steam reciprocation engine by Fleming & Ferguson with an output of 475 horse power and a standard speed of 11 knots. The ship carried general cargo, though in 1898 she was chartered to the National Line and made three transatlantic crossings with passengers. Her first major mishap occurred while west-bound from Cardiff to Norfolk, USA, as she struck an iceberg on April 26th, 1897. She lost approximately ten metres from her bow in the accident and her collision bulkhead was badly damaged, though she limped into Halifax four days later. Until August of that year she remained at Halifax in dry dock, undergoing repairs which cost approximately £30,000 at the time. In 1907 she changed ownership and also her name, moving to Newcastle on the east coast of England and becoming the Spanish Prince, part of the Prince Line. Her new owner, James Knott of Milburn House, Newcastle-on-Tyne, utilised her capacity of carrying 9,600 tonnes of deadweight on less ambitious voyages than Atlantic crossings. In 1914, she parted her anchor chain and grounded on a rocky bottom. Refloated with bottom damage aft, she was sold to the Admiralty and scuttled as a blockship in the Western entrance to Dover harbour in 1915. (summarised from source) (1-2)

The location of the wreck was identified during a marine geophysical survey undertaken in association with Dover Harbour Terminal 2 Project. From the report:
"The most prominent wreck identified is the Spanish Prince, clearly visible on both the side scan and
multibeam images. Vertical Datum: LAT In 51 06 47N, 001 19 51E, with four lights. 10-NOV-1930 dries 4ft between beacons, least depth at outer beacon 12ft. 23-FEB-31 Removal to commence on 02-MAR-1931. 27-SEP-1979 Least depth 1.2m. 03-MAY-1990 Least depth 1.1m. (3-4)

<1> Maritime Archaeology, 2008, Dover Harbour Geophysical Site Survey (Unpublished document). SKE31715.

<2> Maritime Archaeology, 2008, Dover Blockship: Spanish Prince, Shipwreck Characterisation Assessment (Unpublished document). SKE31134.

<3> Maritime Archaeology, 2008, Dover Marine Geophysical Survey Report (Unpublished document). SKE52023.

<4> Maritime Archaeology, 2008, Dover Blockship: Spanish Prince, Shipwreck Characterisation Assessment (Unpublished document). SKE31134.